Category: this is south africa

Go to Barristers

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Just a quick heads up. I’ve been to Barristers three times already this year, for one reason and another. And then another. But I’ve been more than happy to go back again and again. That’s because their food and service have been nothing short of excellent each and every time I’ve visited.

I would have to take the bold step and say that their steaks are currently the best I’ve ever tasted. And if you’ve eaten steak in South Africa, you’ll know that that’s a fairly impressive claim. Add to that a huge array of beers on tap and a huge wine list and suddenly, I’m wondering why I ever went anywhere else.

Barristers hit a bit of a low a few years back, but it’s come through and the change in management and a careful, but noticeable adjustment to the restaurant and decor has made all the difference.
It’s now my first choice for beer, steak and beer. Give it a go.

Barristers website.
Barristers operates the EntertainerZA scheme.
Steaks are half-price on Monday. Unbelievable value.

This is not a sponsored post.

Pretty Patterns In The Sky

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BA brought their A380 down to Cape Town this afternoon to do some publicity shots in front of the mountain. You may recall that Lufthansa did this some time ago: the airline equivalent of the Germans getting their towel on the sunbed before the British had even woken up.

The weather wasn’t all it could have been, the mountain in question being shrouded by a monster tablecloth today, but judging by the flight path from flightradar24.com, it looks like they had some fun anyway:

ba380

Those 4,000ft passes over the mountain must have been especially exciting, given that the mountain itself is about 3,500ft. As I write, G-XLED is already up to 32,000ft and has disappeared back towards Durban.

I’m sure that there will be photos galore of the passes, so I’ll select the best (so you don’t have to) and chuck them up here sometime soon.

Coast Guards

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A really nice piece in Mahala this month about the car guards at Durban’s beachfront – and the extra services that they offer (careful now):

The car guards that ply their trade along the Golden Mile are known to go beyond the call of duty, thanks to the trust that has been built over time between them and their “clients”. The modern surfer has one major issue when it comes to parking their new age vehicle and jumping into the ocean. The remote key: an electronic device that is not water friendly!
But this is not a problem at the major surfing beaches. Every day, numerous beach goers hand over their car keys to the guards in full confidence that their belongings are in good hands. An amazing interaction if you consider the approach most of us take towards crime prevention in this country.

I enjoyed reading this – a quick dip into another world – a world that as the writers suggest, conjures up all sorts of negative connotations. But the entrepreneurship demonstrated by these guys and the obvious trust that has built up between them and the surfers are fantastic.

New Bell’s Ad

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Another day, another video. But that’s the way the internet is going these days, isn’t it? Static pictures and mere words are becoming less trendy and with better speed (ha!) and greater bandwidth (haha!), video are where it’s at.

And this one is pretty cool. The new Bell’s Whisky ad from King James:

Very nice. Give those guys… well… you know.

Tomorrow, less video, more photos. Probably.

Temperatures scales explained

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A temperature-related conversation on Twitter earlier today reminded me that I’ve been meaning to post this helpful guide to the differences between the three main temperature scales:

image

On that note, the rest of the week in Cape Town is looking dangerously hot whichever scale you choose, with Friday baking us all and Saturday melting us with some sickeningly Durbanesque humidity.